“Whilst it is possible there might be system-wide Zune integration into Windows Mobile 7, this particular driver references specific hardware IDs that are locked to a vendor (Microsoft) and product which under USB body regulations cannot be masked,” Zheng wrote, “thus this has to be Microsoft devices.”

Zheng also says that the three devices highlighted above suggest there will be three models of a Microsoft-branded phone, not just the same model with three different storage capacities. Perhaps some Zune phones?

Here we go, back to good ol’ Project Pink – the rumored mobile program that appeared, then disappeared, then reappeared from view. It seems to have been spawned from Microsoft’s 2008 acquisition of Danger, which makes the popular Sidekick line of smartphones.

Thanks to some non-disclosure agreements, analysts can’t say much about upcoming Windows phones. But the thought among many of us tech journalists is that if Project Pink is not branded hardware, it’s a set of mobile services from Danger.

But one thing seems all but certain: that the next Microsoft mobile OS, Windows Mobile 7, will have heavy integration with Zune.

Microsoft is expected to unveil WinMo7 next month at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. More information and speculation about WinMo7 is in my report from last week.

Microsoft is far behind the market leaders when it comes to smartphone operating systems. While Apple ran away with the iPhone OS and Google grabbed headlines with Android, Microsoft merely released a holdover WinMo upgrade – Windows Mobile 6.5 – in October to worse-than-lackluster reviews.

Microsoft is saying WinMo7 will bring the company back to the forefront. But is it too late?